IT was only a question of time – but Warwickshire hoped it would be a bit more time.

Yesterday, precisely 83 days after his team lifted the county championship on a memorable afternoon in the sunshine at New Road, Ashley Giles quit as the Bears’ director of cricket.

Already an England selector, Giles has been appointed head coach for the national team in one-day-international and T20 cricket. His 21 years with Warwickshire as player and coach was abruptly terminated as he made the long-craved step up to his country’s coaching staff.

That he would leave Edgbaston to join the England set-up – he never made any secret of his ambitions – was always likely. When he fleshed out his credentials by supervising Warwickshire to the title last summer, that move became inevitable.

The slight surprise was that the end came quite so soon but the writing had been on the wall since it became clear that the England team’s ever-increasing global commitments had become so gruelling that head coach Andy Flower needed more help.

On a recent trip to India as selector, Giles talked the matter over with Flower and captain Alastair Cook. Splitting the head coach role, they decided, was the way forward. Events then accelerated after last weekend and, as a result, yesterday, Warwickshire’s momentous year of success took a late hit.

There has been much talk since the title was clinched of this squad building an era of success. Of this regime leaving a legacy.

Warwickshire celebrate winning the 2012 County Championship at Worcester

They will now have to do it without the main architect.

As he addressed the media yesterday, Giles was clearly thrilled with his elevation. “I am very happy,” he beamed.

And while those who worked with him, on and off the field, are deeply disappointed, it’s doubtful whether any one of them does not feel, in small part, delighted for him too.

Giles’s commitment and contribution to Warwickshire has been immense – most of all in his five years as director of cricket. Now he has the move he deserves as much as cherishes and only the most churlish Bears follower would wish him anything other than the Best of British.

Giles insisted it was a “bitter-sweet” day after accepting the job having taken advice from the most important source of all, wife Stine whose health situation – she has suffered benign tumours on her brain – has thankfully stabilised.

“Stine said ‘go for it’ because if you say no when a chance like this comes up it might not come again,” Giles said.

“I have been at Warwickshire for 21 seasons so there are really mixed felings. Stine said she was really sad that I was leaving and that she hopes I will keep a close bond with the club. Of course I will.

“That doesn’t mean I am going to favour the club in any way in my new role but I have had a long and enjoyable career here.

“Edgbaston means a lot to me and always will.

“It is bitter-sweet. Colin Povey and the club gave me the opportunity to coach and I served my apprenticeship here. There have been good and bad times but I have learned a lot. I hope I am a better coach now and that has come through day-to-day experience of working with people and managing a team, working with your bosses and budgets. Hopefully now I can go on and do a good job with England.”

Giles has not quite finished with the Bears. He believes the team can continue its progress of recent years and, before starting his England post in January, will have a say in what happens next at Edgbaston.

“I would like to be involved a little bit in the talks on succession planning and making sure everything that needs to be done is done,” he said. “One of the important things going forward for Warwickshire is that the plan is right.

“I am happy to leave the side in the position that it’s in. They could have just been relegated or just won the championship and be falling apart because of age or guys leaving. But they are not, they are in a good position to keep pushing forward.

“It’s great to be asked for my opinion and there is a cricket committee next week when we will sit down and give everything due consideration.”

Exit Giles, after two decades, then, though he will be no stranger to Edgbaston in 2013. But next summer, rather than steering Warwickshire week-in-week-out along the county treadmill, he will be leading England when the ground part-hosts the ICC Champions Trophy.

“It will be great to be come back for the ICC Champions Trophy and hopefully the final,” he said. “So it’s good-bye to the Bears for now but I’ll be back in the summer!”